This post touches on why most of my post-RaceFail blogging has been linking to other articles. I am reading a lot of books and articles lately, but I don’t feel like my analysis would add anything — would most likely detract from it, in fact — so better the authors’ words on the subject than mine.

Easter in Orange County is a long essay about suburban culture and Jewish identity, but it’s definitely worth your time to read. Alas, a Blog is turning out to be one of my favorite reads, lately. Hereville Barry Deutsch’s graphic novel (aka Ampersand, the primary blogger at Alas) and it’s also quite a good read.

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Regarding the Racefail-related link — remember how I told you awhile back that I was uncomfortable with Tim Wise? That’s why (that general concept, I mean). I’m not saying that he’s wrong or an idiot or isn’t making valid points, and he certainly doesn’t hide the fact that he’s white in his essays and lectures, but I feel very uncomfortable treating him as a primary source on the subject, and uncomfortable with the fact that he makes a living from lecturing on racial injustice when he is not a target of it himself.

I would agree with your assessment about Tim Wise, especially since the words that he’s saying have been said for years by other writers of color. To be fair, he doesn’ t spend much time speculating about the thoughts or feelings of persons of color in his book — at least that I remember firsthand — rather, he keeps his focus on analyzing the benefits and privileges he’s received throughout his (sometimes rather troubled) life because he was white. When he writes about things from the opposite perspective, he often makes his point by asking questions of appropriate people and letting them answer in their own words, which I think helps the situation a lot.

That being said, his book is good for hammering through solid layers of ignorance, but I’m not treating it as the end of my learning path. That’s why I’m rereading Toni Morrison’s “Playing in the Dark,” digging out my college copies of bell hooks, and heading to the library for Audre Lorde. I’m almost treating Wise like meta-commentary; now it’s time for me to head back to the source.

Oh, thanks for the link. Gonna go check that out. And re:Barry, don’t feel too badly; I only found Alas, and his work, about a month ago.

I feel very uncomfortable treating him as a primary source on the subject, and uncomfortable with the fact that he makes a living from lecturing on racial injustice when he is not a target of it himself.

Well, no, he can’t be treated as a primary source, ‘cos he’s not one. But as for making a living talking about racial injustice, well, I say fair play to him. Why? Because as much as we think it shouldn’t, the messenger can matter as much as the message. White people might listen to him when they might not listen to a person of color saying practically the same words.

Is he the final authority? Of course not. But I think he’s doing important work, and is effective in ways a POC might not be.